Mario Palermo
|sex = |location = Welland, Ontario|disappeared = December 12, 1977|missing for = |height = 5'6|weight = 150 pounds|classification = Not stated}}Mario N. Palermo was a man who disappeared from Ontario in 1977. Description Palermo was described to have brown hair and brown eyes. Peculiarly, Mario's Canadian Citizenship Certificate, dated 1964, indicated that he in fact had blue eyes, however, that statement was erroneous. He also had a mustache, and a medium build at the time of his disappearance, as well as 3 moles on his face; each located down the side of his left cheek and jaw. Mario also had very distinctive and prominent ears that seemed to "stick out", and the tip of his ears were pointy in a backwards direction (see gallery below). His mandible and chin were angular, and could be considered "robust". Prior to his disappearance, Palermo was a single man living at home with his parents and 3 younger siblings. His home life had become severely turbulent from the late '60s until the day he was last seen. Family believe that he may have fled due to such conditions, and subsequently, may have taken on a new identity. Mario had been fluent in both English and Italian languages. At the time of disappearance, the missing persons report was poorly recorded, and many factors/information had been left out inadvertently, allowing Mario's case to fall through the cracks. Tragically, as a result, his case soon went cold. Research and related items gathered strongly suggested that had this been looked into sooner, he most likely would have been found. In early March 2019, Niagara College's Media department, along with a local cable television station, have officially agreed to work with the Palermo family to produce a documentary about his life and mysterious disappearance. This is the first time that Mario's case had ever been introduced to the media and public, in hopes that someone may recognize him or hold information valuable to the search effort. At this time, the upcoming program's exact release date is to be determined, as the production is currently still in its early days. Life prior to disappearance Palermo was born in August of 1954 in Conflenti (village within the region of Calabria), Catanzaro, Italy, approximately two years before immigrating with his parents to Canada. They settled down in Welland, Ontario, and Mario would soon begin attending St. Mary Catholic Elementary School. While in the 7th grade, Palermo joined the Welland School Safety Patrol, which had been run by CAA. As a treat, Mario and 7 of his peers from his elementary school were chosen to attend a school trip to Ottawa, Ontario in May of the year 1967. The trip itinerary included boarding a flight operated by Air Canada to the capital city, a 3-night stay at the Talisman Hotel in Ottawa, and a trip to the House of Commons and Rideau Hall. The children were chaperoned by a Police Constable of the Welland Police Department (prior to the amalgamation into what is now known as Niagara Regional Police Service, or NRPS). Mario began high school in September 1969, and was known by friends and family to have severe attendance and truancy issues as a direct result of his hospitalization. Despite this, Mario had joined the school's Chess Club in his second year (grade 10), and also competed in Track and Field running relays. Mario is not pictured anywhere in his yearbooks (as he would avoid attending class photos), except for a small picture of him running track, and a group photo of the Chess Club (both in 1970 only), which is listed in the gallery. Later, Mario graduated from high school in June of 1973. He was actually scheduled to graduate the year before, however, he had missed a substantial amount of classes, as he had been admitted to the Welland County Hospital for about 1 or 2 months, and underwent countless rounds of shock therapy during his stay. Once discharged, he repeated the 12th grade the following year. After graduating high school, he returned to the school to complete an optional 5th year ('grade 13') in order to attend university. Mario then attended McMaster University in Hamilton, which took place in 1974. In the following year, he also attended Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, where he would soon spend most of his time in the summer of 1976-77. Mario was also part of the Governor Generals' Foot Guards (3rd division, Public Duties Detachment) in the same time period, and at one point, had gone to CFB Petawawa to complete his basic training (BMQ). Prior to his disappearance in late 1977, and after returning home for a short period, Mario had also been working in Welland amongst Niagara College's Theater program at Sacred Heart Church, located on Empire Street, in Downtown Welland, working as a set designer. At the time, the program had been celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and rehearsals were being held every weekend in mid-to-late October 1977. The venue was dubbed "Welland Little Theatre", which is now defunct. Mario also had obtained a copy of a paperback book by Faber Plays before he disappeared, that contained a script for the play "The Real Inspector Hound" (written by Tom Stoppard), and a list of other plays for which a script could be ordered. The book had apparently originated from London, England. He was familiar with, and often relied on using public transportation and hitchhiking to make his way from city to city, and at one point, took shelter at the YMCA of Hamilton. He wore upscale clothing, and wasn't your average 'transient' traveler. He typically wore wool Levis' Panatela pants, and button-up dress shirts. He was known to also wear Hushpuppies brand dress shoes, size 9 (US/Canada). His family states that he specifically never wore denim jeans, as they didn't fit his style, and he only ever wore black or other dark-colored socks. Palermo was also known to have a high IQ, and family states that he had an introvert personality type. Mario had obtained a slip of paper from a pharmacy in Welland, Ontario, documenting a prescription he had received from a doctor in October 1977, about a month before his disappearance (and around the time that he was working with Niagara College's theater program), for the pharmaceutical drug named chloral hydrate 500mg (prescribed as a sedative to help combat insomnia). At the time that the slip was printed, the prescription still contained 2 refills, and it is unknown whether they had ever been fulfilled or not. Theories *He may be Markham Doe *He may be 1775UMON *He may be Hamilton John Doe (1978) *He may have changed his name, living under a new identity in Ottawa, ON. The name of the suspected alias of interest is being withheld at this time, pending further investigation. Methods of Identification *'DNA Available': Yes, Familial (maternal) sequenced as of late 2009 *'Dental records' (radiographs and charts) Available: Yes *'Skeletal (if remains)': No broken bones; Positive presence of muscle striations indicating athleticism (as Palermo was an avid runner) *'Smoker': No Case The last time Palermo was seen alive was December 12, 1977. At the time of his disappearance, he was not carrying any identification. When he left, he took a brown Dionite luggage travel bag with him, and he was wearing a dark beige and brown (tartan patterned) pair of Panatela wool pants. He usually kept a pocketknife in his pants' pocket for protection, encased in a vinyl/leather sheath. Mario had also owned a Waltham brand watch, which was presumably taken with him when he left home. Prior to his disappearance from his family home, he had sat down with his sister, and blankly told her that he had to leave, and she would never see him again. He had also said this to one of his brothers around the same time. Mario had been acting progressively more despondent, detached, and stressed until he left, and family was unsure what to make of the statement. The day he left his family home was actually early in the morning of November 30th, 1977, and it is implied that he had stayed with his best friend in Hamilton for a few weeks after leaving Welland. The friend in question would later confirm the accuracy of this statement in 1991. On his official day of disappearance (December 12, 1977), Mario had asked his friend for a ride to Hamilton's Greyhound bus depot, and upon arrival Palermo had ominously stated to his friend that he would "never see him again", and needed to "take care of business", before saying goodbye. His destination is unknown. The last time anyone heard from Palermo was January 8, 1978, when his mother received a'' Grey Coach'' parcel from Orillia, Ontario, containing a pair of boots that Palermo borrowed from his brother and two boxes of chocolates. Palermo was reported missing by his mother on January 20, 1978. Initially, Mario's family believed that he may have simply re-entered and begun residing in Conflenti, Italy. However, an international search conducted around 1994 by INTERPOL in conjunction with the RCMP proved negative, as no records were found of a passport or Italian visa under his birth name and identity. However, the relocation cannot be totally ruled out, as he often told siblings in detail that he "knew how to change his name" in order to obtain a new identity, and even mentioned a few times in passing that if he were to do so, he would take on the first name 'Frank', or 'Franco' (named after his maternal uncle), and on separate occasions, Mario often expressed wanting to return to his birthplace in Italy. When the international search ended in 1994, the family were told that no further investigation could be performed, as they had come to a 'dead end' after all routes of investigation failed to identify any leads, but surmised that there was indeed a strong possibility that he has been living under a new name and identity. In late 2009, Detective Constable Douglas Clarke of York Regional Police's Homicide department had paid a visit to the home of Petronilla Palermo (mother), and formerly, that of Mario's, and had informed the family that he was investigating a lead, which had been an unidentified case by the name of "Markham Doe", and that Mario may have been the decedent in question. Petronilla had subsequently submitted a DNA sample for analysis (which is still available), and after being tested, the results were negative. As of March 6th, 2019, an enquiry began as to whether or not there is a possibility that Mario Palermo's case may match with that of "Hamilton John Doe". The investigation is still ongoing. Gallery IMG_0513 (2).jpg|Mario; circa 1965 MarioPalermo69.png|Mario's Grade 9 photograph at Welland High, in September 1969 56502829_1019412141596606_1771032410205454336_n (1).jpg|Rare yearbook photo of Mario and other Chess Club members, 1970. Note the distinct appearance of ears and jaw. IMG_0438.jpg|Mario's student card from 1973, when he was attending grade 13 at Welland High LastknownpicMarioPalermo76.png|Mario's OC Transpo (Ottawa City Bus Lines) ID card; 1976 54257524_410316679728009_4282410984879947776_n-2.jpg|Mario's Student/Residence (September 1975-Summer 1976) ID card from Carleton University, Ottawa, ON. Mario-painting-unkartist-petronilla.jpg|Painting of Mario commissioned by his mother in 1977. 6ea53e356eced90ddf9c52f535299b05.jpg|Pair of Levis Panatela pants, similar to what Palermo had been wearing the day he left home. images.jpeg|Exact color, material, and pattern of Panatela pants Mario had worn on the day of his disappearance. il_570xN.1222090693_e42y.jpg|Identical to Dionite luggage travel bag that Mario had left home with. Links * }} * NCMPUR Category:Ties to Italy Category:1977 disappearances Category:Missing people from Ontario Category:1950s births Category:Young adults Category:Cases over 40 years old Category:Possible transients Category:Possible hitchhikers